Kano Rika, Kudo Akimasa, Kamiya Hikaru, Kobayashi Yoshiyasu, Maeda Ryuichiro, Omata Yoshitaka
Department of Basic Veterinary Science, School of Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Japan.
J Vet Med Sci. 2007 Oct;69(10):1095-7. doi: 10.1292/jvms.69.1095.
To clarify the role of progesterone in the development of immune responses during pregnancy against Neospora caninum infection, C57BL/6 mice were given a progesterone pellet, and measured on Interferon-gamma and interleukin-4 production following the infection. IFN-gamma production in the prescribed group was significantly lower than that in the intact group on day 40 post administration. IL-4 producing cell population in the prescribed group was larger than that in the intact group. These results suggest that progesterone may alter the balance of cytokine production, and that the bias toward type 2 immune response may remain for a certain period after the infection.
